Footwear design and construction are extremely important to their wearers as well as to footwear manufacturers. Footwear not only provides comfort and support to the wearer's feet, but also defines the wearer's style and image. Clothing and footwear companies are constantly developing new styles and trends of footwear as well as new materials and construction features in order to distinguish themselves from others and to provide new options to consumers. Consumers often look for the latest and unique styles of footwear in order to achieve a unique image and to define their style.
Symmetrical footwear is well known in the art and is widely sold in commerce. Footwear is sold in pairs, having a left shoe and a right shoe, and the shoes in the pair are typically mirror images of one another. That is, in all styles and categories of shoes, including men's, women's and children's shoes, the configuration of the right shoe is usually identical to the configuration of the left shoe, and the right and left shoes are symmetrical so that the right and left shoes are mirror images of one another. There are numerous different styles and trends of symmetrical footwear, which range from elegant to casual to athletic styles, from high heels to flats and from platforms to wedges.
In addition, there are also shoes in the market which are not symmetrical, with the left shoe and the right shoe having different physical configurations. However, such asymmetrical shoes typically include two similar shoes which have individual adjustments for each foot for a particular purpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,847 discloses asymmetric shoes for use in sports, such as fencing, so as to accommodate for asymmetric movement of the wearer's feet. In the '847 patent, each shoe in a pair has a configuration which is adapted for a particular use, so that the thickness and cushioning of the sole of a trailing shoe is different from the leading shoe, the leading shoe includes a heel cup, a protective toe patch and an overlay which are not included in the trailing shoe, and the trailing shoe includes a high abrasion insert which is not included in the leading shoe. In the '847 patent, there is no connection or continuity between the different configurations of the trailing and leading shoes, and each shoe is independently adapted for a particular use or function, without regard to overall appearance of the shoes.
There is a need for a new configuration of footwear which can be modified in a variety of ways so as to create new styles, trends and designs. There is also a need for a new configuration of footwear which can be used with many different types of shoes.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new configuration of asymmetrical footwear that can be used and modified in many different ways to develop new styles, trends and designs and to expand the possibilities of new footwear designs. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new configuration of asymmetrical footwear that can be used with all footwear categories, including men's, women's and kids' footwear, and with all different styles of footwear, including, but not limited to, boots, shoes, sandals, pumps, clogs, mules, oxfords, loafers, slippers, wedges, platforms, espadrilles, booties, mary janes, t-straps, slides, thongs, flip flops, flats, slingbacks, ballerina shoes, specialty shoes such as wide shoes, narrow shoes, dance shoes, diabetic approved shoes, eco-friendly shoes, bridal shoes, vegetarian/vegan shoes, etc.